PizzaExpress, one of the world’s leading casual dining restaurant chains yesterday marked its debut in India with its outlet in Colaba, Mumbai. PizzaExpress, which opened its first outlet in 1965 in London, has over 450 restaurants worldwide and is an institution on the UK high street. With its presence in China, Europe, Hong Kong and the Middle East, it is amongst the most renowned pizza chains globally.
The brand has been brought to India under an equal Joint Venture (JV) between Gourmet Investments (P) Limited, promoted by the Bharti Family Office,
and PizzaExpress Holdings Pvt Ltd, promoted by the Gondola Group of the UK. The JV expects to rapidly establish its presence across key Indian cities to tap into the maturing casual dining market in India.
Neil Wickers, International Managing Director, PizzaExpress, commenting on the launch said, “We are pleased to announce the opening of our first restaurant in India and are confident that our quality offerings will delight customers. India is clearly the market of the future and as we expand our presence in the country we aim to close the gap between fine dining and affordable fast food through our product offerings. It will be our aim to be amongst the top casual dining brands in India in the years to come.”
Apart from pizzas, as well as the signature Romana Pizza, the menu will also include pasta, range of fresh salads and home-baked desserts like the Chocolate Fudge Cake and Vanilla Cheesecake. The menu also includes vegetarian as well as spicy options to suit Indian preferences and does not include any beef preparations in keeping with Indian sentiments.
Ramit Bharti Mittal, Director, Gourmet Investments, said “We are extremely excited at the launch of our first restaurant. PizzaExpress restaurants in India will deliver same great taste and experience as enjoyed by customers world-over. We have undertaken extensive research to design our product-mix for the Indian market and are confident that our customers will enjoy our offerings.”
The interiors of the restaurant have been designed by The Bus Ride. The brand positioning of 'Pizza in Style’ has been kept constant across markets along with their authentic pizza quality, distinctive design philosophy and style of service.